The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-08-26
Allan Quartermain
BY H. Rider Haggard.
Author Of "She," liking Sole
Mons Mines" "Jcss," "The
Witch's Head,' Etc.

very short, amounting to but $50 rounds OF
rifle cartridges and some fifty shotgun car
tridges. How to get on wo did not know; in
deed IL seemed to us that we had about
reached the end of our tether. Even If we
had been inclined to abandon the object Of
our Search which, shadow as 1t was, was by
no means tho case, it was ridiculous to think
of forcing our way back some 700 miles to tho
coast in our present plight; so we camo to tho
conclusion that tho only thing to be done was
to stop where we were--the natives being so
well disposed and food plentiful-for the pres
emit, and abide events and try to collect infor-
nation as to tho countries beyond.
Accordingly, having purchased n capital
log canoe, large enough to hold us all and
our baggage, from tho headman of tho vii
lage We were staying in, presenting him with
three empty cold drawn brass cartridges by
way of payment, with which he was perfectly
delighted, we set out to make a tour OF the
lake in order to find the most favorable place
to make camp AS we did not know if we
should return TO this village, we put all our
gear into the canoe, and also a quarter OF
cooked water buck, which when young is deli
cious eating, and Off we set, natives having
already gone before us in light canoes to warn
the inhabitants of the other villages of our
approach.
As we went we began to pass considera-
BILE accumulation Of floating rushes, weed,
boughs of trees, and other rubbish, brought,
Good supposed, TO this spot by some current,
which he was much puzzled to account for.
While we were specializing about this, Sir
Henry pointed out flock of large white
swans, which were feeding ON the drift some
little way ahead of u.s. Now / had already
noticed swans flying about this lake, and
having never come across them before in
Africa, was exceedingly anxious to obtain a
specimen. l had questioned tho natives
about them, and learned that they came from
over tho mountain, always arriving at certain
periods Of the year in the early morning,
when it was very easy 10 catch them, on ac-
count of their exhausted condition.
Well, we set to work to stalk tho swans
which kept drawing as they fed nearer and
nearer to the precipice, and at last we pushed
the canoe under shelter OF patch of drift
within forty yards of them. Sir Henry had
the shotgun loaded with No. l, and waiting
for chance, got two in line, and, firing at
their necks, killed them both. Up rose tho
rest, thirty or more of them with mighty
splashing, and, as they did so, he gave them
the other barrel. Down came ono fellow with
broken wing, and saw tho leg of another
drop and few feathers start out of his back
but he went on quito strong. Up went the
swans, circling ever higher till at last they
were mere specks level with the top of the
frowning precipice, when l saw them form
into triangle and head Off for the unknown
northeast. Meanwhile we had picked up our
two dead ones, and beautiful birds they were,
weighing not less than about thirty pounds
each, and were chasing the winged one,
which had scrambled over mass Of drift
weed into a pool of clear water beyond.
Finding a difficulty in forcing tho canoe
through the rubbish | told our only remain
ing Wakwafi servant whom / knew to be an
excellent swimmer, to jump over, dive under
the drift, and catch him, knowing that as
there were no crocodiles in tlis lake he could
come tono harm. Entering INTO the fun Of
the thing the man did so, and soon was dodg-
ing about after the winged SWIM in fine style,
getting gradually nearer TO ihe rock wall
against which the water washe rs he did so.
Suddenly no gave up swimming after the
swan, and began to cry out that he was being
carried away; and indeed we saw that, though
he was swimming with all his strength toward
us, he was being drawn slowly toward the
precipice. With few desperate strokes Of
our paddles we pushed the canoe through the
crust of drift and rowed toward ihe man us
hard as we could, but, fast as we went, he
was drawn faster toward the rock Suddenly
I saw that before us, just rising eighteen
inches or SO above the surface of the lake, was
what looked like the top of the arch or sub
merged cave or railway tunnel. Evidently,
from the water mark ON the rock severa, feet
above it, it was generally entirely submerged
but there had been n dry season, and the c Id
had prevented the snow from melting Us
freely as usual, so the lake was low and th,
arch showed. Toward this arch our poor
servant was being sucked with frightful
rapidity. He was not more than twenty
PAGES from it, and we were about thirty when
I saw it, and with little help from us the
canoe flew along after him. He struggled
bravely, and thought that we should have
saved him, when suddenly | perceived an OK
preston of despair come upon his face, and
there before our eyes he was sucked down into
the cruel, swirling, blue depths, and vanished
at the same moment 1 felt our canoe seized as
with mighty hand and propelled with resist
less force toward the rock.
We realized our dangernow, and rowed, OF
rather padded, furiously in our attempt to
get out of tho vortex. In vain; in another
second we were flying straight for the arch
like an arrow, and l thought that we were
lost Luckily, retained sufficient presence
of mind to shout out, instantly setting the ex-
ample by throwing myself into the bottom of
the canoe, "Down on your faces-downl" and
the others had tho sense TO take the hint. In
another instant there was a grinding noise,
and the boat was pushed down till the water